Inglewood approves new Clippers arena

Inglewood Mayor James Butts (second left) is all smiles with council members (from left) Eloy Morales Jr., Alex Padilla, and George Dotson after announcing the City approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers to develop a National Basketball Association arena. Courtesy, Office of Mayor James Butts

INGLEWOOD — Already the future home of both the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, Inglewood unwrapped another jewel, Thursday, June 15, with the announcement the City has approved an exclusive negotiating agreement (ENA) with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The ENA will start a process through which both parties will pursue the development of a state-of-the-art NBA basketball arena, here.
The facility would be located on a 20-acre parcel south of Century Boulevard at Prairie Avenue. The Los Angeles Clippers will pay all the costs to plan, entitle and develop the proposed facility.
Upon signing the agreement, the L.A. Clippers paid the City of Inglewood $1.5 million, which will fund administrative costs. If additional funding is required, the Clippers will provide the necessary resources. The new arena would be 100 percent privately funded and privately capitalized.

The new Clippers facility would be located on a 20-acre parcel south of Century Boulevard at Prairie Avenue. Photo: Google

No public dollars will be used for the project.
“The Los Angeles Clippers are committed to working with Inglewood residents and businesses to develop a premier basketball facility that will create a tremendous sense of pride, an economic engine and a source of employment opportunities in Inglewood and the greater Los Angeles community,” said Mayor James Butts.
“[This] announcement simply gives the team options for the future. The Los Angeles Clippers current lease with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) at Staples Center expires in 2024, seven years from now. Putting a new project site together, conducting [an] environmental review, obtaining permits, and constructing a new arena takes time – approximately six to seven years.”
The negotiating agreement establishes a timeline and framework for the development, analysis, and entitlement of the planned basketball facility. The Los Angeles Clippers will propose the specific site boundary, program, and building forms of the proposed development. After that, the city will analyze the various impacts the proposed development might have on the community, including environmental review and fiscal impact.
The site will likely include a state-of-the-art NBA arena, a training facility, and team office space.
The land being considered is owned by the city of Inglewood and private parties. Several businesses are located there. Inglewood could use imminent domain to secure the private property on the parcel.
After the council vote Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, in a letter to supporters, committed his team to playing at Staples Center through the end of their lease in June 2024.
“I have said from day one that we need to plan for the future,” Ballmer said in the letter. “This agreement helps us do that by expanding our options.”
The agreement has already drawn some controversy.
Lawyers for the Forum have gone on record accusing the city of Inglewood of “backroom dealing,” and promising serious opposition to the deal.
The Los Angeles Clippers plan to engage in the city’s environmental review process and estimates that the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, review will take approximately two years. It is an open, public and transparent process.